As someone who sat for three terms on the New London Board of Education, I feel I am qualified to opine on the skill set necessary to be there. As someone who sat on the sidelines of the Carter debacle, I feel I know what skill set is sorely lacking in all of the incumbents. When there is a knowledge vacuum a good board member seeks out the necessary information to make an informed decision. An effective board member does not go along to get along.

One candidate, Jason Morris, a founder of the New London Parent Advocates, has the skill set necessary to both be a good and an effective board member and, further, to be able to avoid another Carter fiasco. As a member of the New London Parents Association, he helped draft a discipline report leading to a well-regarded School Discipline Working group. For the past few years, by attending almost every meeting, he has been relentless in providing peer reviewed sources of information, as well as thoughtful analysis of issues confronting the district to both the sitting board members and the State Board of Education.

Morris will bring a critical eye and a questioning voice to a board that sorely needs both.

Susan Asselin-Connolly

New London